Page 79 of Swords and Curses

"It's time, Nimue," he said, and she hurried to his side, not looking at Merlin. Bleddyn touched the insignia on her armor, and it melted back into a pair of plain trousers and tunic top.

"What the fuck is going on?" Merlin demanded.

"I'm going to get the queen," Nimue said, her voice steady. "I will bring her back, and we will destroy her."

"You are going…" Merlin rounded on Bleddyn. "What the hell did you say to convince her? This is madness. You can't do this!"

"Bleddyn didn't convince me of anything, Merlin. Please, try to understand. This is my choice. This is my reparation for Deryn."

"Deryn's death wasn't your fault. Please don't do this, Nimue. Please, for me."

"It's for you that I have to go," Nimue shouted, tears running down her face as she stepped up to the ring. Rosa went to stopher, but Balthasar's hands clamped around her, holding her back.

"Nimue, please. We can find another way," Merlin begged.

"There is none. I will see you soon, beloved." She smiled brilliantly and stepped backward into the light. Merlin ran towards her, but Trahaearn and Gwaen grabbed him, pinning him down.

It wasn't until the light of the ring disappeared with Nimue that they let him go. He scrambled over to the circle, clawing at the grass and dirt. An inarticulate shout echoed from deep inside of him, and he slammed his hands down into the earth. They all stumbled backward as a wave of power rolled out of him and onto the water. There was a loud crack like lightning, and the choppy lake froze solid. Tears slipped from Rosa's eyes as she shook from the magical overload and struggled to stay on her feet.

"What did you do? Bring her back!" Merlin demanded, his voice ragged. "How could you do this?"

"It was her choice…" Bleddyn began, but Merlin launched himself at him, knocking him to the ground.

"You know what will happen to her. You know what the queen will do." Merlin's hand grabbed Bleddyn by the front of his jacket and shook him.

"She agreed to go back in order for the plan to work," Bleddyn said as calmly as he could. "If you knew her intentions, you wouldn't have allowed her to go. She knew that, which is why she forbade us from telling you."

"It's true, Merlin," Balthasar said. "He's not lying to you."

"You knew?" Rosa demanded, taking her hand from his. "How could you keep this from me?"

"The same reason we kept it from Merlin. You would've both tried to stop her from going."

"That was not your call to make," Rosa hissed.

"No, it was Nimue's, and she made it. You both need to stop being emotional and see the bigger picture here," Gwaen said coldly. "Nimue knows the court and the queen better than any of us. She is the perfect spy to send. The queen would be expecting her to report in soon, and her return won't be taken under too much suspicion."

"I've ensured that if anything goes wrong, we will know, and we will rescue her," Bleddyn reassured.

Merlin let him go with a violent shove and got off the wet ground. Saul moved to help Bleddyn up to his feet.

"We have plans to put in motion," Trahaearn said. "I suggest you all get rest tonight, for we will be laying traps for the queen and her armies tomorrow."

"For your sake, I hope everything goes to plan," Merlin spat violently. "I'm too disgusted to look at any of you." He strode off into the night, leaving them all feeling the sting of his pain.

"Rosa…" Balthasar reached for her hand, but she wouldn't let him take it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm with Merlin on this one. I have nothing to say to you tonight, and my cousin needs me." She backed up from all of them, ignoring the pain in Balthasar's eyes and the broken look on Bleddyn's face.

Rosa ran through the woods and back to the Wylt cottage. She didn't want Merlin to disappear into the night. Despite being so angry she could barely breathe, Rosa knew that they needed to stay together.

Merlin's armor had been torn off and dumped on the kitchen floor, and she found him by the fire, with his head in his hands. He didn't look up or say anything as she took off her coat and hung it on the rack.

Rosa poured them both a drink before she sat down, placing the glasses on the coffee table in front of him. She could saynothing to soothe him, so she put an arm around his shaking back and rested her cheek on his shoulder in a silent comfort.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Nimue felt the connection to Merlin break as the earth pulled her under. The blocks that Eli had made in her mind set into place, and she felt the drag of power that pulled her to the Aos Si. A traitorous sob broke out of her when she found herself on the ground in a circle of tall black stone monoliths.

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